A FORMER lifeguard at Ingleton outdoor pool has his eyes on bigger seas now he has completed his Royal Navy basic training at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint, Cornwall.

Recruit Ethan Tazzyman, 20, from Carnforth, Ingleton, joined the Senior Service in October, last year and completed the training package that turned him from civilian to sailor, parading in front of his family and friends on Friday, February 23.

He said, “I wanted to travel the world and enjoy a challenging career that would allow me to work with modern aircraft. The Royal Navy will allow me to do this.”

Reflecting on the training, he said:  “It was tough in places, and I look back at training in the sinking ship simulator with pride as it took a lot of nerve to carry on while up to my neck in cold water. The teamwork gets you through though, and the great training staff have instilled a level of self-discipline I never thought I could have.”

He added: “I had to push myself through the military fitness which was essential for when we deployed out to Dartmoor in the most horrendous weather conditions. The ability to find that little bit extra inside yourself and carry on in adversity was crucial. As was the thought of having a beer with the lads on completion."

AB2 Ethan now goes on to complete his professional training at HMS Sultan, the RN’s Engineering School in Gosport, Hampshire, where he will be trained as an Air Engineering Technician, working with aircraft like the state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jet or the Merlin and Wildcat helicopters.

He will work with some of the most cutting-edge platforms in existence as part of the team that keeps them flight ready, and on completion he will embark in his first ship and start his global adventures.